help

How can I help? Organisations, contacts and links

09/09/2015 11:17 am

The Catholic Church's response in England and Wales to meeting the needs of refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria will be coordinated locally through the dioceses. Our first response is one of prayer. In addition, if you feel able to donate time, skills or money, you can make a valuable contribution to the humanitarian effort.

PRAYER

We have uploaded a prayer for peace by Pope St John Paul II that can be used to pray for an end to the war in Syria and for peace for the Syrian refugees fleeing violence.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

CAFOD is an agency of the Bishops' Conference and is the Catholic Church's aid and development charity in England and Wales. Donations to CAFOD's Refugee Crisis in Europe appeal will provide food and emergency supplies to refugees who have recently arrived in Europe, as well as supporting people in the countries where refugees originate from.

The Jesuit Refugee Sevice is making sure that Europe provides a warm welcome to refugees. Its UK organisation is accepting donations to help accompany, serve and advocate for refugees to reduce their destitution and loneliness.

Friends of the Holy Land (FHL) was established in 2009 to support the Christians in the Holy Land. FHL works in close cooperation with the Christian churches in the region and in the UK. Among other projects it helps support Syrian refugees in Jordan.

GOODS

Seeking Sanctuary is a small Kent-based organisation promoting awareness of the plight of refugees and asylum seekers on our doorstep in Calais and beyond. It provides humanitarian assistance for the migrants currently stranded in Calais.

This UK-wide charity is building a database of accommodation volunteers who agree to offer up space in their home to a refugee. This can be for a few days, weeks, or even longer. It has a system to ensure destitute refugees and their hosts form the best match.

NACCOM is an informal network of agencies providing accommodation for migrants who have no recourse to public funds. Most of these are asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been rejected, but for a variety of reasons have not been deported.

TIME AND SKILLS BANK

The Cardinal Hume Centre gives people access to the skills and support needed to overcome poverty and homelessness. It focuses on four areas of need: employment, housing, education and skills, and legal status.

The St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) is a Catholic charity that is part of an international Christian voluntary organisation dedicated to tackling poverty and disadvantage by providing practical assistance to those in need – irrespective of ideology, faith, ethnicity, age or gender.

ADVOCACY

CAFOD, together with CSAN and Jesuit Refugee Service, are encouraging people in England and Wales to send messages of hope to refugees. Resources are available here: cafod.org.uk/yearofmercy.

Please note: These links are for information only. We are unable to endorse organisations or check the services they provide if said organisations are outside the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, its offices and agencies.